CDL-A School Review: Smith And Solomon, DuPont, PA

Hi All, I've not been online at TruthInTrucking for a few weeks......been in DuPont PA at the Smith and Solomon CDL school. Short story: good school, good value, only adults need apply. ;-) Longer story: Like every business, these guys (and gal) do a lot with a little. The DuPont location is a division of the larger Smith and Solomon group, based in Bordentown, NJ. The DuPont, PA group had four Freightliners, and a few other vehicles requiring CDL, such as a bus. Though it's a seemingly laid-back day-to-day experience, the instructors tell/show you what you need to know to get your CDL-A (and other endorsements) and then some. Either in/on the lot or classroom, or out on the road. That said, if you're a whiner who want's to be spoon fed, well.......good luck, you won't make it anywhere. Sure, when class sizes are large, you have to wait, but there are opportunities to practice shifting, yard maneuvers, and of course the vehicle inspections. Road time is in high demand, and you get more than enough to get your CDL-A. But if you're slow, or like me had bad habits from driving a stick in the 4-wheeler, you can take a weekend or two and have a really high instructor-to-student ratio.

Ever hear the saying "The fate of the world is determined by those who show up"? Well, those who leave early in the day leave the rest of us with a truck to ourselves. Yee-haw!

As I mentioned earlier, if you can't keep track of your progress........you're just not responsible enough to be entrusted with a truck. So, make a plan for yourself, go over it with an instructor, and let them know you're serious. Check your progress every few days. If you're ahead, great. Everybody seems to have skills they 'get'. And everyone seems to have skills they need extra work on. Schedule time if you're not reaching your goals dummy! It's on YOU to be sure you're ready on test day, and Smith and Solomon DuPont certainly have the equipment, hours of operation and a variety of good instructors to make it happen for you!

So yes, the instructors are good, and flexible in scheduling and teaching styles. They watch what you're doing and tell you how to correct problems, but they expect to be dealing with adults who listen and try their best to put the instructors advice into action, and practice it. If there is any fault with Smith and Solomon, it's with some of the students. I would not mind having a $5 bill for every hour a gaggle of students stood around BS-ing when there was a truck available to practice fundamentals. What I mean is: it's just plain sad when a student thinks they are 'special' to demand one-on-one road time when in reality they can't find the gears, or haven't worked on clutch-throttle-shifter coordination, let alone basics like yard skills.

And there was one other bonus, at least with my graduating class.......we all took an interest in getting each other through the pre-trip, and yard skills. There is a lot to be said for using teamwork, and the Smith and Solomon DuPont style does inject the essential knowledge and somehow the group reinforces that knowledge and you turn it into skill.

So in conclusion, great experience, I left with my CDL-A, feel very comfortable managing a rig, and the price here is very low compared to other schools. For what you needed, a solid CDL-A, it's a great value and was a great experience.

Thanks Clyde, Mark, Sheryl, Dennis and Paul!

"The Professor" ;-)

What company did you hire-on with?

Hello G-Town, I'm working on that. I have a pre-hire letter from Knight, but I'm not ready to sign on.